Day 216, Year 1

The Dwelling of the Lord is Empowering

(God) “Dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” (Isaiah 57:15b NKJV)

While the Lord Jesus is outside the doors of people’s hearts, a barrier is still between the Lord and them. However, when we, believers, meditate on how He knocks on the door, we can start to feel His presence. When Jesus is welcomed to dwell in His people, His presence can allow the lowly to live wonderfully, be healed, and the broken hearts to be rejuvenated. Indeed, Jesus is the source of divine positivity over the whole sinful world and has the power to heal our hearts. The coming of Jesus into people’s hearts is great news for all who are contrite and humble. However, the lowly or broken might have found the wrong way out. For instance, some of them living in affluent areas might use food or entertainment as a remedy to offset the pain caused by their psychological issues or life circumstances. The consequence of these methods is that when there is no more satisfying food or entertainment, their underlying problems may surface in a more traumatic way.

Those who are in need should seek help from Jesus, while those who are lowly can live a wonderful and abundant life through Him. Because of the Lord’s presence, His grace can be seen in small things, usually after our prayers, and our hearts often take delight in that. Though there would still be problems before us, all of them would become opportunities for God to perform His miracles. He can open the eyes of our hearts to receive His vision on various issues. What’s more important is that we can find strength in Him. When His presence comes, He will grant us extra spiritual strength to enable us to overcome all problems.

The Lord will heal our broken hearts if we keep on praying to Him. When dreams are shattered, ideals pursued crumble, years of toil and dedication come to naught, or great difficulties arise, our hearts are broken. Thanks be to God for His mercy and guidance, that He can heal and mend any broken hearts. Though the cracks of brokenness might remain, the renewed heart will be made whole. On top of that, His light may shine through the cracks and manifest His testimony of merciful healing. For He can replace all of our dreams or pursuits with His plans. God’s blessings are far greater than all the calamities that befall us. His gifts are more substantial and precious than all human achievements. Through all His grace and restoration, we can marvel at His greatness, energized to believe in Him passionately, and follow Him on the path of life that lies ahead.

Reflection questions:

1) Despite possibly being lowly in the past, do you think that you can now live a wonderful life because of Jesus’ presence?

2) Are you a humble person who needs the Lord’s presence and help at all times? Why?